The School of Mathematics and Statistics at Newcastle University are hosting their annual “WISDOM: Women In Science Doing Outstanding Maths” on 20th June 2017 from 4:30-7:30pm. This event is aimed at engaging Year 9/10 girls in maths to see the doors that can be opened by studying maths at A-Level and beyond.

There also will be the opportunity for participants to meet a range of women from different jobs that all involve some maths. Refreshments will also be provided. Students who attended last year are encouraged to attend again as the talks will be different and there will be some different women scientists to talk to.

I recently watched the film ‘Arrival’ (which I highly recommend) and discovered that it was based on the short story ‘Story of Your Life’ by sci-fi author Ted Chiang. I bought his collection of short stories and decided to start from the beginning and read the stories in order, rather than skipping straight to ‘Story of Your Life’.

Surprisingly, my favourite story in the collection was called ‘Understand’. It centres on Leon who, after drowning and ending up in a coma, undergoes experimental ‘hormone K therapy’. After waking up from the coma, doctors find that Leon’s damaged neurons are regenerated and that his intellectual capacity is dramatically increased.

After a short time, the CIA become interested in Leon and a government psychologist called Clausen begins doing tests on him. However, Leon realises that the authorities see him as a danger; he leaves the city and before long tracks down another hyper-intelligent man named Reynolds, who has also undergone the same therapy.

The narrative builds up to the meeting of the two characters and the psychological battle they engage in…

I won’t give away the ending, but must say I found it totally mind-blowing and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something different to read – you can even borrow it from me!

Representatives from three North East schools and colleges visited School 21 in London to find out about the school’s innovative approach to employer engagement. The visit built on the progress the schools and colleges have already achieved as part of the Good Career Guidance Benchmarks, which are being piloted in the North East and which aim to transform careers guidance in schools.

School 21 is known for having developed strong links with local employers, with each of its students completing practical work placements, during which they work on a solution to a real workplace project.

Leanne Johnston, Assistant Headteacher, was one of the attendees.

She said: “The team at School 21 really are inspirational and I had heard from them at various events, so as soon as the opportunity to visit came around, I wanted to go.